Municipal judge’s preference is new courthouse

Published 3:59 pm, Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Judge Robin Smith told the Midland City Council that moving into the old Midland County Courthouse would be the last of the three options for a future municipal court site.

During a Tuesday briefing session, Smith identified building a new municipal court building closer to the core of downtown as his preference.

He said a new facility would be the best option for the way the municipal court works. A new building also would allow for the growth expected for the next 30 to 50 years. Smith said after the meeting that a new court building could cost up to $7.9 million, $2 million of which has been dedicated.

Whether this takes the older county courthouse out of the running remains to be seen. County Judge Mike Bradford earlier this month said turning parts of the courthouse into the city’s municipal court facility had taken speed during recent weeks. The Midland City Council ultimately will make the call, likely picking between the three options Smith presented. They are, in order based on Smith’s preference:

- building a new municipal courthouse, probably downtown;

- expanding the current facility located on Texas Avenue and Dallas Street;

- remodeling a building like the old county courthouse or the old “Honolulu Oil Building,” which is located next to City Hall on Illinois Street.

Mayor Wes Perry said a new municipal courts building is the likeliest option, and the big part of that decision would be location -- whether it is a new building at the current location or another location in downtown.

“All things being equal, we would like to be closer to downtown,” Perry said.

Perry said the costs of remodeling and upgrading likely pushes the old Midland County Courthouse out of the conversation. Smith identified potential costs, including mold, asbestos, American with Disabilities Act requirements and security. He also said the old courthouse would create certain inefficiencies with the program run at the municipal court, including parking.

Perry also said remodeling the current municipal court building is unlikely because of space requirements.

Smith told the council the municipal court is visited by more residents than “any other local government building.” He said officials at the municipal court building will collect $4 million this year for the city and $1.3 million for the state. Over the next 30 years, the municipal court officials will collect $200 million for the city and a quarter of a billion for the city and state combined.

In other business:

- The City Council authorized City Manager Courtney Sharp to negotiate a Chapter 380 agreement with Simon Property Group, which operates Midland Park Mall.

Mall representatives, according to the city, have requested assistance for their proposed $6 million renovation of their property. While city documents indicate they asked for the city to participate at the amount of $1.5 million, Perry said it will be significantly less.

Sharp has said the city never has participated with a retail provider on a remodel project.

According to the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 380 “authorizes Texas municipalities, both home-rule and general law municipalities to provide assistance for economic development. Texas cities may provide monies, loans, city personnel, and city services for promotion and encouragement of economic development.”

- The City Council accepted a $1 million matching grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department that will be used for construction at the I-20 Wildlife Preserve and Jenna Welch Nature Study Center.

With the council officially accepting and appropriating the funds this week, preserve officials will start the process of putting bids out for construction, said Elaine Magruder, president of the preserve’s board.